Nursery Production

3.02 – Understand nursery

production and marketing techniques
Types of Plants for each
 Trees-containers, PNP, B&B (balled and
burlapped), bareroot
 Shrubs- container, PNP, B&B
 Perennials-container, PNP
Propagation
 Sexual (seed)
 Stratification-chilling seeds to stimulate winter
conditions before germination (Ex: Baptisia
and daylily)
 Scarification- breaking of the seed coat (Ex:
redbud and maples)
 Asexual
 Cuttings
Propagation
 Asexual
 Cuttings
 Softwood (herbaceous) cutting-leaf, pieces of the
stem or roots from non-woody plants. Cuttings are
taken late spring through early summer
 Hardwood cutting- pieces of stem from woody plants.
Cuttings are taken fall through winter
 Grafting-joining separate plant parts together
to form a union and grow
 Scion-top portion of the graft
 Rootstock-root or bottom portion of the graft
Propagation
 Asexual
 Budding-a form of grafting when a bud is used
instead of scion
 Layering- forcing roots to grow on the stem of
the plant while it is still attached to the parent
plant
Soil for Containers
 Media must be porous
 Soilless media
 Peat
 Partially decomposed material mined from swamps
 Good moisture holding capacity
 Perlite
 Natural volcanic material that helps aerate the soil
 Good moisture holding capacity
 Vermiculite
 Mica mineral matter used to start cuttings
 Neutral pH
 Good moisture holding capacity
Soil for Containers (cont.)
 Soilless media
 Bark
 Ground pine or oak bark
 Increases the porosity of a soil
 Amendments
 Lime-calcium and magnesium increased the pH level
of soil making it alkaline or “sweet” correcting the
acidity of the soil
 Fertilizer- adds macro and micro nutrients to soil
 Wetting agents- increases water retention of soil
Soil for planting in the ground
 Use native soil in traditional field planting
 Tree and shrub roots need to grow in
native soil
 A soil test should be used to determine if
soil amendments are needed
 Soil amendment functions
 Increase water and nutrient holding capacity
 Improve aeration and water infiltration
 Soil amendment should be mixed with
natural soil
Soil for planting in the ground
 Organic-”fresh” organic material should be
first composted
 Sphagnum peat
 Dehydrated remains of acid bog plants
 Holds moisture and are high in acidity
 Grass clippings- add nutrients to the soil
 Saw dust- high carbon to nitrogen ratio; can
make nitrogen unavailable to plants
 Compost- decayed organic matter, good
fertilizer and soil conditioner
 Manure- adds nutrients to the soil, good
moisture holding capacity
Soil for planting in the ground
 Inorganic
 Vermiculite- good moisture holding capacity.
 Perlite- good for aerating the soil.
 Pea gravel- good for heavy clay soil.
Planting
 Containers
 Place one plant in the center of container
 Evenly space plants in container if more than 1
plant is used
 Planting depth is important and varies
depending on plant material
 Field
 Determine the layout and spacing of trees and
shrubs in the field
 Determine the equipment needs of field grown
plants
Water
 Container and PNP
 Watering is more important for container
grown plants than field grown plants because
roots can go no deeper or spread any wider
than the container
 It is best to water container plants in the
morning for maximum absorption, however,
some may need to be watered more than once
a day depending on the weather
 Should be watered until water runs through
holes in bottom of pot
Water
 Container and PNP
 A gallon container needs about a pint of water
at each watering
 Require more water in dry, hot, windy,
weather
 Need more water when actively growing and
flowering
 Do not allow any container plants to dry out!
Water
 Field Grown
 Should be watered in the morning for
maximum absorption
 A more porous soil needs more water than a
clayey soil
 Watering for field production depends on the
weather
 Require more water in dry, hot, windy weather
 Need more water when actively growing and
flowering
Fertilizing

 Fertilizing schedule should be established

for each type of plant grown
 Scheduled periodic liquid fertilizing should
be established depending on plants, soil,
size, etc
 Slow release fertilizers such as Osmocote
and Magamp are mixed into potting media
or top dressed on the soil surface
Fertilizer
 Plants in containers for more than 1 year
require additional fertilizer and should be
watered thoroughly after fertilizing (varies
on pot size and plant material)
 Plants should be observed and fertilization
changed as plant foliage shows a need for
either more or less fertilizer. Tissue
analysis can be done to determine
deficiencies.
Marketing
Develop a Marketing Plan
 Complete a marketing analysis (research
used to predict the future of a market) to
determine your target market
 Once a marketing analysis is complete,
determine what to sell
 Know your competition
Price your product
Use this formula to determine your price
Materials + overhead + labor = selling
price

 Pricing may vary depending on availability

of plant material in your area
Promotion
 Advertising
 Public Relations
 Personal Contacts
 Communications
 Join local and state associations
 NC Nursery and Landscape Association
 Attend trade shows
Placement
 Providing a place that is convenient to the
customer
 Shipping, delivery, internet ordering or
nursery pick up